Construct a Chapel in the Democratic Republic of CongoThursday, April 18, 2013

Project Code: 115-01-19

Murhala is a small and dynamically growing town in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is just 100 yards from the National Highway that links Bukavu, the capital of the South Kivu region, with Goma. Of the current population of 13,000 people, some 9,000 are Catholics.

Every morning at six o'clock, a large group of faithful gather together to pray the rosary and attend Holy Mass. They also pray to Saint Nicholas of Flüe, for whom they have a great devotion, and ask him for peace for their region, torn for so many years by war and violence.

The Catholics of Murhala would now like to build a church of their own, dedicated to this particular saint. As yet they have no church where they can all gather together, but instead meet in an old wooden house that is slowly decaying. Now they have joined forces in an attempt to make their dream a reality. They themselves have carried the sand, bricks and stones with which they hope to be able to build their church. But they are very poor, and survive only by what they can grow on their little plots of land or by working as small traders. Even so, they barely manage to feed their families.

Without outside help, they will not be able to finish the church. "That is why they are knocking at the door of their brothers and sisters in ACN…so that they can finish building this church," writes their parish priest, Father Jean de Dieu Karhabalala Mufungizi. "We have to restore peace. Peace is something we achieve by doing something good and tangible. Uniting people together before God is the best way for the Christians in Murhala to unite them in peace and harmony. We build up the country by building places where people can gather together; we bring peace to a nation by showing it the peaceful face of God. This is what we are doing in Murhala."

ACN has agreed to help with a contribution of $9,900. Will you contribute so that this chapel can be built and become a place of peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

This project is an example of our work. Your donation will be attributed either to this or to another similar project that accords with the pastoral needs that ACN witnesses.